SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors will wear a patch on their jerseys bearing the initials of Dejan Milojević surrounded by a heart for the remainder of the season as a tribute to the late assistant coach, the team announced Tuesday.
Additionally, a similar logo will be on the court apron at Chase Center near the Warriors’ bench.
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Milojević passed away suddenly last Wednesday after sustaining a heart attack at a team dinner in Salt Lake City, Utah the previous night.
As a result, the NBA postponed Golden State’s game against Jazz last Wednesday night and their home game against the Dallas Mavericks last Friday. No make-up date for either game has been announced yet.
The Warriors will wear the patches for the first time Wednesday when they face the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center.
The pregame plans for Wednesday are for both teams to stand together at midcourt, but rather than holding a moment of silence, fans will be asked to have a moment of celebration in Milojević’s memory. The hope is for something similar what occurred in Belgrade, where fans from two teams that Milojević either played or coached for engaged in a lively tribute to the 46-year-old.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors gathered Monday to watch the tribute video before practicing. They, like many others across the professional basketball world, still are reeling.
“A lot of emotions and sadness,” Stephen Curry said following practice Tuesday at Chase Center. “You try to find ways to carry the spirit that Deki had and lived every single day into how you move forward. It is a huge loss and there’s going to be a void there and (we’re) going to feel it for a long time. Hopefully we can get lost in the game and move forward.”